Stephanie Bice
2016 HONOREE

State Senator, Oklahoma

Stephanie Bice always followed politics, but she’d never considered going into public service until she got a tap on the shoulder from an Oklahoma lawmaker. “The former senator who held my seat told me he was not running for re-election and thought I would make an exceptional legislator,” Bice says.

Elected in 2014, Bice has focused on business-friendly policies. That emphasis reflects her experience having worked in financial oversight for her family’s technology company, and later in business development for an Oklahoma City digital marketing agency. One example of this focus has been her effort to bring Oklahoma’s alcohol laws more in line with the rest of the country. Bice has sponsored legislation that would allow beer and wine to be sold at grocery and convenience stores, rather than just in liquor stores. Another measure would allow onsite beer sales at microbreweries. Both bills passed in the House and Senate last session, but contained differences that still need to be reconciled.

Bice is also eager to tackle education, mental health and prison reform. “As a freshman legislator, I see many opportunities for improving Oklahoma,” she says. “But making those changes will take time.”